May 10, 2007

TKO Announces First Women's MMA Bout

TKO Major League MMA is delighted to announce its first ever female mixed martial arts (MMA) bout when SARAH KAUFMAN (4-0-0), fighting out of Victoria, B.C., squares off against VALERIE LETOURNEAU (1-0-0), fighting out of Montreal, QC. MMA has traditionally had a reputation of being a male-dominated, testosterone-driven sport. However, a growing number of women, like Montreal’s own Valerie Letourneau, will paint a different picture for you. “Fighting for TKO is like a dream come true for me! I have wanted to fight for this company for a very long time and I feel ready and very excited for June 1st!”

Letourneau started her training and competing in kick-boxing 9 years ago, at the age of only 15. After taking 4 years off to raise her new born daughter, Letourneau is back and seems hungrier than ever. She recently traveled to Brazil to train jiu-jitsu for a month with one of the most highly regarded grappling camps in the world, Gracie Barra. Currently, Letourneau is in Boston, Massachusetts along with TKO Superstar, Patrick Cote, to sharpen her striking skills with one of North America’s finest Thai-Boxing coaches, Kru Mark DellaGrotte.

At only 21 years old, Kaufman has already amassed an impressive professional MMA record of 4-0 with all of her wins coming via knockout. Similar to Letourneau, Kaufman also expresses a deep love for the sport of MMA. “I’ve always loved training and competing so it just came natural when I started doing MMA. It felt like the right thing to do with my life.” After two years in pre-medical school and exploring a career in professional dance, Kaufman has now settled into the MMA grove. “I hope the opportunities for women keep getting bigger and bigger. It’d be great if the UFC introduced female fighters one day, but for now I just want to have as many awesome and exciting fights as possible!”

The women will bring an aura of intrigue and excitement to upcoming TKO events unlike anything the fans have yet to experience. Many will soon be surprised to see just how talented and exciting these young ladies are. Watch out: The female fighters of TKO are on their way!